McMahon on the State of Small Business

May 16, 2018

On Tuesday, May 15, the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship held a hearing, “The State of Small Business in America: An Update from the U.S. Small Business Administration” featuring SBA Administrator Linda McMahon. Serving as the sole witness during the hearing, McMahon updated the committee on SBA’s work and future plans to help America’s small businesses.

McMahon first talked about the SBA’s Ignite Tour through which she has visited with 44 district SBA offices across 38 states, to date. The goal of the tour has been to connect McMahon with all 68 district office staffers, which comprise nearly half of SBA’s workforce as well as meet and talk with small-business owners and get a better feel for what SBA is doing on the frontline. She also outlined SBA’s disaster assistance efforts over the last year and stated that they currently are staffing over 70 recovery centers in Puerto Rico.

Another highlight of the past year, according to McMahon was working with other federal agencies to better coordinate resources for small businesses and rural communities. She also thanked the Committee for their work in vetting and approving nominees for SBA, as well as ensuring adequate disaster assistance funding and overall continuity for the various SBA programs.

Looking ahead, McMahon stated, “There are other areas of focus – like our Veterans programs, minority and women lending, and outreach – that I look forward to updating you on as our agency collaboration develops.”